A toilet fail was caught in the nick of time

Just reliving this experience sends a cold chill down my spine.

If my wife hadn’t spotted a minor issue with the handle of our main-floor toilet, there’s a good chance we would’ve endured a disastrous water breach in our house. And had that happened, the water would have flowed unrestricted for hours, likely damaging a good portion of our main floor — completely destroying our recently finished basement.

A few nights ago, my wife discovered that the main-floor toilet was no longer flushing when you pressed the handle. The two-piece had worked for two decades without faltering — part of the bathroom renovation I completed shortly after we moved to this property. As a matter of fact, in December 2016, I wrote a Reno Boss column about this bathroom, dubbed the “Coca-Cola Bathroom,” since it is adorned from top to bottom with Coke paraphernalia collected throughout the years.

After a brief inspection of the toilet, I found that the inner plastic lever had a non-reparable crack and could no longer lift the flush mechanism. It would need to be replaced.

Manitoban's new book 'Gather Together' has a cornucopia of ideas for entertaining

Robyn Chubey’s creative ideas for decorating homes and gardens in every season, and her garden-to-table recipes to delight family and guests, are about to reach a new audience.

Homegrown solution

For the last two years, Dave Hanson, owner of Sage Garden Greenhouses, has been using Typha for mulching plants and improving soil quality. A sustainable product made from harvested cattail stalks, Typha holds significant potential for gardeners, says Hanson.

“The story behind Typha is incredible in so many ways,” says Hanson. “It is a Manitoba-made solution with ecosystem benefits to our lakes, but it’s not limited in its scope. As more gardeners discover Typha’s benefits as a mulch and soil amendment, it has the potential to impact the horticulture industry across Canada.”

Typha is an aquatic plant that functions as a bio accumulator. Typha plants naturally filter nutrient runoff before it makes its way downstream to freshwater lakes. Harvesting Typha plants at a critical time of its life stage has proven very effective at removing phosphorus, which is the key culprit behind excessive algae blooms in Lake Winnipeg.

Alec Massé, CEO and co-founder of Typha Co., is keen to spread the word about the many ways that Typha simplifies gardening.

Making windows disappear

It’s often the least sexy tasks during remodelling that prove to be the most important, but they tend to be overshadowed by the grandeur of a completed project. We’re talking the rough plumbing of a bathroom upgrade, the electrical required for the introduction of ceiling pot lights or building the sub-structure that supports a multi-tiered deck.

Product promises to extend shingles’ life span

After upgrading the windows on the original portion of my house last fall, the prospect of incurring another major expense in the short term had me slightly concerned.

Why visitors are flocking to this Winnipeg yard

When Elizabeth Ochnio decided to become a member of the East Kildonan Garden Club in January, she couldn’t have imagined the new connections she would make.

A fence postscript

During a recent backyard deck upgrade and partial fence replacement project, the homeowners forgot to include one other section of fence that needed to be replaced. Luckily it was a fairly short section and I was able to squeeze the job into my summer schedule.

Reimagining the garden

Next week, close to 100 horticultural professionals from botanical gardens and conservatories across Canada and the U.S. will be in Winnipeg for the American Public Gardens Association’s 2025 Horticulture, Greenhouse, & Facilities Symposium, which will be hosted by Assiniboine Park Conservancy at The Leaf.

Phil Broomfield lectures on Thomas Hardy’s horticultural history

It’s September, and just as the kids are back in school to gain knowledge, garden clubs and horticultural societies are planning program evenings that provide learning opportunities for their members and the gardening public.

Prior to the pandemic, few garden clubs used video conferencing services such as Zoom. But lockdown changed everything. Virtual programming not only allowed learning opportunities and networking to continue during COVID, but has since opened doors to a greater audience for both garden clubs and public speakers like Phil Broomfield.

Broomfield is a United Kingdom-based garden historian and storyteller who gives lectures to women’s institute groups, garden clubs, horticultural societies and other organizations whose members are interested in exploring the evolution of gardens, horticulture and design.

Broomfield, 44, is also a horticulturalist and owner of The Garden Doctor, a garden maintenance service in Bournemouth on the south coast of England.

Finding a new (driveway) approach

I’ve been involved in reno projects that involve forming, pouring and finishing concrete, but those tasks have always been left to the certified professionals.

In the case of a recently proposed driveway upgrade project, the costs could have gone up substantially because of changes to city code involving a new driveway approach that ties into a right-of-way. Could we find a creative solution that would wrangle the overall project costs closer to the anticipated amount?

In replacing an entire driveway and approach, the overall square footage generally dictates the costs — the volume of concrete required can be calculated by multiplying the square footage by the average depth. When prepping the area, gravel is compacted within temporary wooden forms set along the perimeter of the driveway and rebar is strategically placed to reinforce the concrete once it’s poured. After the topside finishing is done, partial-depth lines are cut at set intervals to discourage haphazard surface cracks.

Typically, the calculated volume of concrete required also dictates the amount of rebar and the overall labour needed to complete the project. This past spring, a change in city code upended the initial quote that had been provided to the homeowner. Although the driveway is residential, it was explained to me that the city now requires all driveway approaches to meet commercial standards. In other words, the approach would require a much more invasive preparation, which of course means higher costs.

How a shady pollinator desert became a flower-filled haven

Drive through any older, established neighbourhood in Winnipeg and you will see fully grown evergreen trees that dominate small front yard landscapes, often completely blocking houses from view. Decades ago, when the trees were small, they probably seemed like a very good idea.

Porch project got a tad prickly

A dilapidated front porch in need of a facelift nearly led to adventures in bushwhacking when I had to work my way through foliage that had overgrown in recent years.

Some assembly required

I don’t often take on projects that simply require assembly. Pre-fab pergolas and storage sheds usually come with a detailed set of instructions and can be assembled by virtually anyone within a day or two.

So, I initially hesitated when a good client recently solicited my involvement to erect a yard shed, but I eventually agreed, thinking it would be a relatively easy project during a hectic summer build season.

Turns out, the actual build was far more complicated than expected.

It started out well enough.

10 beautiful plants to plant now

My favourite garden of all is the late summer garden. Plants have ripened and matured, their long stems and profusion of flowers and seedheads intermingling with neighbouring plants to produce a tapestry of colour and texture. Bees, butterflies and birds revel in the abundance.

Now is a perfect time of year to plan for next year’s garden. The warm soil temperature is ideal for establishing healthy root systems. Plants also experience less heat stress at this time of year and benefit from the increased rainfall that typically occurs in late summer and early fall.

Look around: is there an area of your garden where you would like to inject more colour, texture or drama? Why not introduce something different and intriguing to your garden and at the same time get a head start on spring? The selection at garden centres right now is just too good to pass up.

Let’s start with the plant that for many gardeners is the quintessential shade plant — the hosta. It’s not the only option for a shade ground cover but do keep your eyes peeled for Hosta Silly String. It is currently making waves on both sides of the pond. A 2022 introduction from the breeding work of Hans Hansen of Walters Gardens, Hosta Silly String won second place for best plant of the year at the 2025 Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show.

Raising the bar

The backyard is often a homeowner’s sanctuary, a small getaway place that you can enjoy without having to travel. And for those who love to entertain outdoors, this personal oasis usually includes a main seating area and possibly even a fire pit.

For the longest time, good friends of mine had been dreaming of a covered deck that includes a bar — no doubt a place to demonstrate their hosting prowess. Very recently, this dream came true.

The covered deck is tantamount to a ground-level deck build, with four corner posts supporting a sloped roof. With the back shielded for privacy from deck surface to ceiling, an L-shaped bar is perfect for entertaining. Although the construction is fairly straightforward, there are a few considerations that could make or break this build.

Firstly, the backyard is sloped, roughly 15 inches over 12 feet. Therefore, is was necessary to create a level solid surface upon which the ground-level deck platform could be built. To accomplish this, the front side of the slope was excavated by 12 inches, which at level essentially met the lower side of the slope along the back. With approximately four inches of gravel laid within the cut area, flat diamond concrete pads were then installed to create the rigid, level surface upon which the deck is built. Using 2 x 8 treated lumber, the ground-level deck was framed on top. At all four corners, 6 x 6 posts were secured within the framework, intended as main supports for the subsequent roof. With the deck fully framed, 2 x 6 top decking was installed and the perimeter received 2 x 6 fascia.